Sunday, November 27 2005 14:42 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: It is now official. India has missed yet another deadline, set to conquer the debilitating polio disease with the problematic Bihar failing to check the virus tranmission due to its 'lackadaisical approach'.

The state is even being blamed for two polio cases in neighbouring Nepal.

"Virus transmission still continues in Bihar though performance of another problem state, UP, has improved," Union Health Ministry officials told sources.

While the virus has been restrained in UP where only 'focal transmission' has been reported, in Bihar, the transmission is spread almost all over the state, they said adding unless Bihar takes some serious action immediately, it would be difficult to say when the country would get rid of polio.

As of now, the country has missed the 2005 deadline, they said.

Although Bihar is being provided with full resources and money, it has failed to implement the programme efficiently, they said adding that the central Government even helped the state by providing necessary manpower.

"If UP and Bihar gear up, we will be able to stop transmission of virus by middle of 2006," they hoped.

India has shifted polio eradication deadlines several times in the past. The country was to reach zero transmission in 2000 but the target was pushed forward by two years. It was again postponed to 2004 and then to 2005.

Experts are worried that while all the attention and resources are being obtained for polio eradication, the government is not able to focus on other deadly diseases such as Japanese Encephalitis, which has claimed over 1,000 lives in the eastern UP belt this year alone.

India spends about Rs 1,100 crore on polio control every year.

The country reported 52 cases this year, the lowest ever. But Union Health Ministry is concerned over the situation in Bihar where 10-15 per cent of eligible children are still being missed during vaccination rounds.

The officials said that the global and regional attention is now on India. Two polio cases have been detected in Nepal this year, which had been polio free for over five years. The last case was reported in September this year.

The genetic sequencing of the virus from these two cases has revealed that the Nepal virus is similar to Bihar's.

Of the 52 cases, 24 are from Bihar, 24 from UP, two from Jharkhand and one each from Delhi and Uttaranchal. Last case was reported in October from Sitamari in Bihar.

Last year 134 cases were reported in the country.

Bihar virus has also been linked to polio cases in Jharkhand, they said. Araria, Madhepura, Sitamari, Bhagalpur, Patna and East Champaran are the most problematic areas in Bihar.

"It is obvious that system is not working in Bihar. Central Health Ministry is initiating action at political and administrative level," officials said.

Of the three-poliovirus strains, India now has mainly P1train. P2 has not been reported since 1999 while last case of P3 was reported this June in Moradabad.

Considering this a 'monovalent' vaccine that targets the P1 strain was introduced this year. It was also suggested by an expert group comprising representatives from World Health Organisation and Centres for Disease Control, Atlanta.

If zero transmission is maintained for three years, India would get polio eradication certificate from the World Health Organisation.